The invention relates to an endoscope comprising a flexible catheter probe with a plurality of lumens, in accordance with the generic part of claim 1.
Such an endoscope is known from DE 100 45 036 C1. This known endoscope has a multilumen probe and a grip provided at the proximal end of the probe. An optical system extends inside at least one of the probe lumens. A working lumen for a surgical instrument is also provided. A control element, for example in the form of a traction wire or a traction cable, is connected to the distal end of the probe and is movably guided on the probe in axial direction. In this way, a therapeutic endoscope is obtained that can be easily operated during a surgical operation.
An endoscope with a handle assembly and a catheter assembly is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,120, in which the catheter assembly is rotatably and removably mounted the handle assembly. In the assembled state, the fiber optic provided in the catheter probe is aligned with the eyepiece optics provided in the handle assembly. This is achieved by removably connecting an optical outlet provided on the catheter assembly to the handle assembly. The catheter probe has a plurality of lumens whose outlets are located at the proximal end outside the handle assembly. A control element for guiding the probe to its destination is not provided in this endoscope.
Maintenance and especially decontamination of endoscopes with multilumen probes is very difficult. This results in high servicing costs, and ensuring decontamination causes long outage times between uses.